Concealed Carry Basics for Women

These days, more and more women are getting their concealed carry permits. Firearms are often referred to as “the great equalizer” because they can give women, especially smaller women with no specific training in self-defense, an advantage over would-be attackers. All politics aside, if you’ve ever been stalked, mugged or sexually assaulted, your views on guns might change once you realize the advantage a firearm can give you over a would-be attacker.

While handguns are also not the ideal survival weapon, getting familiar with handgun basics now can definitely still be an advantage after SHTF. Especially right when disaster strikes, if you’re not at home but you do have your handgun, that will just give you that added protection in post-disaster chaos. As a sidenote, if you are more interested in firearm basics for SHTF, its definitely ideal to train with shotguns and long rifles as well as a handgun.

Training

Most states that issue concealed carry handgun licenses will require you take a course in handgun safety before issuing the permit, and for good reason. If you are completely unfamiliar with handguns, you may want to consider taking additional courses to become completely familiar with handgun basics and safety. Guns are not magic talismans that keep attackers at bay-they are tools that you need to know how to operate, maintain and safely handle. You should train regularly at the range, keep it clean and in operating condition, and run drills in the event of an attack. Many handgun instructors offer courses just for women and these are really great to take, as they will teach the principles of threat assessment, situational awareness and self-defense in addition to best practices for self-defense with a handgun.

Purse Carry

One of the most common ways for women to carry a gun is in their purse. However, this can be very dangerous if you don’t use best practices for purse carry. For one, many handgun-related accidents with small children occur when a woman leaves her purse with a loaded handgun within the reach of a child. No matter where you keep your gun you need to be aware of where it is, what condition it is in and who can reach it at all times. But especially if you keep it in your purse, never put it in a purse that has not been specially designed to holster and conceal a handgun, never take it off your body unless you are safely at home and can place your gun out of reach of children, and always be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. For purse carry, cross-body is safest, as it cannot be snatched off of you. If you choose to purse carry, make sure to train drawing your firearm out of it so you won’t be fumbling around in your purse if you need to use it.

Holsters

There are many different kinds of holsters available for women these days. Some of the most popular are the “can can” style holster, that is basically like a corset. There are also bra holsters and various kinds of appendix holsters, as well as garter holsters to wear with dresses or skirts. More and more gun accessory manufacturers are responding to the demand of women shooters, so there’s lots of options available these days!